Tasmanian lawyer Adrian Hall avoids jail after stealing from employer
High-profile Tasmanian lawyer Adrian John Hall has avoided jail after being found guilty of stealing from his former employer.
Hall was sentenced to four months in prison, wholly suspended, for stealing from his former employer, the law firm Grant Tucker.
The 39-year-old Launceston barrister accepted cash payments from clients which he did not deposit into the firm's account.
A jury found Hall guilty of stealing nearly $11,000, but in sentencing Justice Stephen Estcourt said he was satisfied that Hall stole only $2,600.
He said on the first count of stealing $9,000, $8,100 had eventually been paid into the trust account of the firm.
Of that amount, $900 was not accounted for.
Hall was also ordered to do 210 hours of community service.
In sentencing, Justice Stephen Estcourt said a psychologist found Hall had a narcissistic personality disorder.
Justice Estcourt said Hall felt a "sense of entitlement" in taking the amounts he did.
President of the Law Society of Tasmania Matthew Verney said the non-custodial sentence was appropriate.
"In order to make a suspended sentence, the court has to be first satisfied that prison was appropriate and that's obviously the view his honour took and that's very much in line with the society's view that Mr Hall's behaviour was serious and deserves a serious outcome," he said.
Mr Verney was worried the perception of lawyers in Tasmania has been damaged after the high-profile case.
He wanted to reassure the public it was an isolated incident.
"We have a strong ethical profession in Tasmania and it's one that the public can have trust and faith in," he said.
The society has suspended his practising certificate until next July.
